Ethnic theatre largely began with the diversification of the United States. WIth many people coming in from all over the world, the U.S. quickly became a place filled with people of different backgrounds and beliefs. With the diversification also came the hardships that the groups considered “different” faced. Immigrants coming into the United States often faced political and social oppression, and worked and lived in harsher environments. Ethnic theatre became a voice and outlet for these groups. Ethnic theatre did not always happen in a theatre, but as the information packet states, it happened in church basements, school auditoriums, and more. The audience would come and be educated on the problems different groups faced in the United States, or they would come to forget about the real world around them. Ethnic theater's voice allowed for those groups to flourish and aid their communities, whether that help came in a simple way to forget about the hardships of life, or in the form of education or entertainment. It became clear that ethnic theatre did more than simply entertain people. Whether it was Black(in which the origin story is earlier due to slavery), Italian, Chinese, or Jewish theatre, the entertainment allowed a place to breathe and give voices to issues that were ignored by the general public.
Ethnic theatre did not always happen in a theatre, but as the information packet states, it happened in church basements, school auditoriums, and more. The audience would come and be educated on the problems different groups faced in the United States, or they would come to forget about the real world around them. Ethnic theater's voice allowed for those groups to flourish and aid their communities, whether that help came in a simple way to forget about the hardships of life, or in the form of education or entertainment. It became clear that ethnic theatre did more than simply entertain people. Whether it was Black(in which the origin story is earlier due to slavery), Italian, Chinese, or Jewish theatre, the entertainment allowed a place to breathe and give voices to issues that were ignored by the general public.